The Truth Hurts
by Solarian Sunbeam
Summary: It's been two days since the Day of the Royals, the day all of Brandon's hopes of winning the heart of Princess Stella were crushed. But will sneaking out of Red Fountain at night to apologise make things better? Oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

Brandon lay in his bed, thinking. It had been two days. He had left countless texts and voice messages on her answering machine. He'd stolen other people's phones to call from an unknown number. He had begged Codatorta – on his hands and knees – to lift his punishment for an afternoon so he could see her in person.

But he was still on probation. Apparently posing as your prince for a year and a half wasn't something to be taken lightly, and didn't go unpunished, much to his dismay. Sky was already fast asleep, despite it being a whole hour until lights out. Timmy was in the library, and god knows what Riven was up to these days. Probably with Darcy. Huh, even Riven can keep a steady relationship… even if it was with a witch.

Brandon picked up his phone once again, eagerly scanning his inbox for a message that he could have easily missed. There wasn't, so instead he connected his earphones to his phone, and watched the conversations he had had with the blonde over the short time they'd been dating.

The first thing he heard when he clicked on the oldest conversation was his own voice. "Hey Stella, it's Prince Sky,"

"Oh hey Sky," Stella smiled sweetly at the screen. _I'm not Sky…_

"Did you guys make it back to Alfea safely?"

Stella nodded, then giggled when her attention was drawn to something Brandon couldn't see. "More or less, but it took me and the girls a couple of showers to get rid of the smell," Brandon could hear himself chuckle in the background, and could make out the noise of someone shouting to Stella.

"Hey Sky!" Musa came into view in a pair of dark pink pyjamas, momentarily blocking Stella from his view. "Oh sorry, did I interrupt a tender moment between the royal couple?"

"Stop it Musa," The next minute a pillow came flying from the right of the screen and hit Musa in the face, causing her to fall. Both girls laughed, then Stella remembered she was on the phone. "Are you still there?"

"I'm here," Brandon could hear the cheesy grin on his face. He loved watching Stella laugh, especially when it was he who caused such a noise to escape from those soft, pink lips…

Stella's cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. "Sorry about that,"

"No problem, I just wish I was there to join in the pillow fight," Stella gave him a sly wink in reply, then adjusted the phone so she could cross her legs. "But I can understand if you don't want me to, you're probably exhausted from luring in that troll, and still overwhelmed after I saved your life and everything-"

"When, exactly, did you save my life?"

"When I caught you, before you fell in that swamp," Brandon's eyes started to water at the memory. He'd tried his best to stay close to Stella the entire time whilst in Black Mud Swamp, hoping for a disaster to strike so he could save her.

"Oh, how could I forget? You were so brave, and strong…"

"And handsome," Brandon heard himself add, which earned him another smile from Stella. "Don't worry, it's my job to save beautiful princesses in distress,"

"And how many have you saved so far?" Stella asked in a serious tone, arching her eyebrow suspiciously as she did so.

"Just the one," the voice – his voice – told her matter-of-factly. "And I want to make sure that I always protect her,"

"She's one lucky girl," Stella blushed, but she dipped her head making it harder for Brandon to see. He could tell she was holding back a grin.

"Nah," Brandon disagreed, "I'm the lucky one," _Yes you were, you stupid bastard. _"I'm always gonna be there to protect her,"

"Is that so?"

"Yup, I would never let her get hurt," _Nice going with that jackass, you're the one who hurt her._

"Oh how romantic!" Musa sang in the background.

"I think it's sweet," Flora added, sitting next to Stella on her round bed. "Hi Sky!"

"Hey Flora! Hi Musa! Who else is there?"

"All of us!" Bloom replied, joining Flora and Stella on the bed. Tecna and Musa did the same, waving frantically around an embarrassed Stella.

"Well I hate to be a party pooper but I better go, it sounds like Codatorta the Terrible's coming for lights out – I'll see you girls soon!"

"Bye Sky!" the girls sang in unison, and the conversation ended with the projected image disappearing with a faint _beep_.

Brandon felt his stomach constrict painfully. That conversation had taken place just a few weeks ago. Who knew one day could ruin all of that? If Diaspro hadn't shown up, maybe things would be fine. If Bloom and the girls had stayed at Alfea for the day, maybe they never would have discovered his secret. If he hadn't lied in the first place, maybe he'd still be with Stella. Wouldn't he?

"I have to find out," Brandon said to himself. He strode to the opposite side of the room to grab his Red Fountain jacket. He pulled it on and fished out the keys for his levibike, whilst a plan started to form in his mind.

* * *

He knew he wasn't permitted to leave the grounds of Red Fountain at this time, especially when he was on probation, but Brandon couldn't take it anymore. Silently, he snuck out of the main castle of Red Fountain and edged his way towards the equipment shed on the other side of the quad, directly behind the dragon pens. He'd have to be especially careful around those things, they had heightened senses at night time to listen out for any predators. He made it to the shed without much trouble, and unfastened the chain to his levibike. Brandon was about to guide his bike out of the shed when a light came on outside and he heard muffled voices.

"…hit the blonde right out of the sky! It was unbelievable!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah bro! Apparently these two sophomores swapped identities last year, and one of their girlfriend's thought her boyfriend was someone else, and it turns out he was cheating on her with the Princess of Quartz!"

The two figures stopped moving. "Get out! Princess Diaspro?"

"Yup, turns out Prince Sky of Eraklyon swapped places with his squire for 'his own protection',"

"Hah!" the other guy scoffed. "More like getting some action on the side without worrying about either girl finding out – what a guy! I would have done the same!"

"Not bad is it? A princess and a fiery redhead, that's one hell of a deal!"

"Didn't you say the squire had a girlfriend too?"

"Yeah, Princess Stella of Solaria. Poor girl thought he was a prince,"

"Harsh, how's she taking it?"

"Not well," there was a brief pause. "Shania has advanced potion classes with her roommate Tecna, who said that she hasn't been sleeping or eating since it happened. Hasn't shown up to classes either. She just locks herself in her room and cries,"

"Poor thing…" The pair started walking again, this time towards the dragon pens. "Hey, Bruce?" Bruce? As in Bruce Track the senior?

"Yeah?"

"Stella's officially single, right?"

"As far as I know, why?"

"Single, vulnerable and a princess… easy prey,"

"Hah! Like you have a chance! Come on, get back on guard or Codatorta's gonna kick our asses!"

If Brandon wasn't trying to escape, and wasn't two years below the senior, he'd kick that sorry guy's ass himself. Right after he'd managed to kick his own. Stella had been crying? For two days? Brandon, being the remarkable flirt he was, had left a pretty long trail of broken hearts, ones he wasn't prepared to mend. He'd never felt that any of the girls he'd dated were right for him.

But Stella was something else. The minute he lay eyes on her in freshman year, he knew he'd get her or die trying. At first he'd convinced himself that it was a challenge – a beautiful princess was way out of his league, then add the fact that she didn't know of his existence and he had next to no chance. But he was persistent. He hardly saw her at the Alfea/Red Fountain mixers, never saw her on missions, but that blonde had an effect on him he couldn't describe. He'd been planning to ask her to prom at the end of the year, but her expulsion meant she left before he even had the chance to ask.

Then, after months of trying, Brandon had Stella. And he didn't get bored of her. He wanted to be with her, no one else, and that's when he realised that there was more to it than her being out of his league, for he had never felt this way about anyone else.

He loved her.

* * *

"Excuse me," Brandon stopped a senior fairy on her way across the quad to the dorms. She didn't look like she was in any rush, and there was no one else around.

"Can I help you?" she asked curiously. What was a Red Fountain sophomore doing on the grounds of Alfea at this time of night?

"Could you show me Princess Stella's room?"

The fairy shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm not permitted to do that. Don't take it personally, it's just rules,"

"Could you maybe send her down?" The fairy gave him a baffled look. "Please?"

"Who should I say asked?"

"Uh…" Brandon was at a loss for words. He couldn't give away his identity, or Stella would never leave her room. "Couldn't you tell her that someone wants to see her?" The fairy gave him another look. "Please?"

"I take it you're Prince Sky/Brandon," the fairy sighed. Brandon gave a small nod. "I can see why you'd want to see her, but I'm not sure-"

"Please, I'm begging you," Brandon choked. "I made a huge mistake, and I have to apologise. She won't answer my calls, and the only way I got here in the first place was by sneaking out. She has to hear my side of the story, I never meant to hurt her…"

The fairy thought for a second. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But I don't know who you are, alright?"

"I thought everyone heard about what happened on the Day of the Royals?"

"They have, but I don't want to be the one to blame if this apology goes pear-shaped,"

"Understood," Brandon nodded, following the fairy to the shadows of the long alcove close to Alfea's dorm rooms. The fairy told Brandon to wait there, while she went up the staircase to fetch Stella. Brandon did as he was told and sat at the bottom of the staircase, running his hand nervously through his long, brown bangs. He didn't have to wait long.

"You?" A small, quiet voice snapped him out of a daydream he was having about shrinking to the size of a pixie and riding rats around the castle. He stood upright to talk to Stella properly, but his voice got caught in his throat when he took in her appearance.

Her cheeks were round and a faint pink colour, her honey eyes were glazed and free of any make-up, which would have been smudged anyway. But what surprised him most was what she was wearing – an oversized sports jersey, which was red with baby blue shoulder patches and what he knew was a number 11 on the back in the same colour. The Red Fountain emblem was stitched onto the left breast, and there was a large 'B' on the front, which was the team Brandon was on for field activities as well as it being the first letter of his forename. He gave it to Stella to hold on to while he washed off after the race on the Day of the Rose. He came back from the showers of Red Fountain to find her wearing the shirt over her dress, and he had to admit it looked good on her, so he let her keep it.

"Stella," Brandon breathed taking a step towards the blonde, who only took a step back to avoid him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you, I had to explain-"

"There's nothing to explain." Stella cut him off. She combed her fingers through her long, blonde hair and sat on the fourth step of the staircase, ensuring her eyes didn't meet with his. "I got your messages Sky - I mean, Brandon,"

"Then why didn't you call back?" Brandon seated himself also, leaning close to Stella.

"I didn't want to speak to you, I still don't,"

"Then why are you still here?"

"Because I want to hear what you have to say,"

Brandon let out a breath he wasn't sure he was holding in. "Well, I'll admit, I've been a bit of a flirt in the past, and haven't been the most trustworthy, but even I can see this one went a little too far," he grinned, hoping the joke would ease some of the tension. By Stella's stony expression, it only made things worse. "Never mind. Look, Sky was in danger of being assassinated by this Yoshinowa guy, back in Eraklyon, so King Erendor sent him to Red Fountain to train how to defend himself, and sent me along to keep an eye on him. My parents could never afford to send me here, so of course I took the opportunity! Sky asked me on the bus here that he wanted to swap identities, to see what it would be like to be treated like a regular guy, and I wasn't exactly going to turn down being a prince! And that's basically where the lie started…"

"So why didn't you end it?"

"I couldn't, Sky depended on me. No one knew we'd swapped identities except the two of us, and we didn't want to over-complicate things by letting other people in on it. Sky and I definitely didn't want you and Bloom harbouring a secret like that, what if Yoshinowa targeted you?" Brandon looked at Stella, hoping she'd see reason, but the blonde kept her gaze fixed on the stony steps.

"I never wanted to hurt you Stella," Brandon told her sincerely. "You're not like anyone I've ever met. You're brave and beautiful and funny and kind and sweet. And a princess. What chance does a squire have with someone like that? You're perfect, and I'm just me,"

"You thought by pretending to be a prince you'd get to go out with me?"

"Well…" Brandon scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly, "yeah, I guess,"

Stella moved down a step and edged her way closer towards him. "Brandon, you being a prince didn't make me fall for you! You did! You look out for me, you're loyal, you always manage to make me laugh, you come with me on shopping sprees, you're one of the nicest guys I've ever met, and…"

"And what, Stell?" Brandon asked her gently when she failed to finish the sentence. He cupped her face with his left hand and brushed away a tear sliding down her cheek using his thumb. Slowly, he bowed his head towards hers, puckering his lips ready to catch her mouth with his. Stella jerked her head away from him when their lips were mere centimetres from meeting.

"I can't Brandon," Stella wailed, pushing herself off the staircase, ready to make her way back to her dorm to cry in peace. "I just can't,"

"Can't what?"

"I can't be with you!"

"Is this because I'm a squire? Am I not royal enough for you?" Brandon yelled, only realising a second later that he could have woken Griselda. No one wanted that.

"No you idiot, it's because you lied!" Stella snapped. "You lied to me, Brandon! Use any excuse you can think of, but you lied to me! Do you not think I got enough of that from my parents? 'Everything's fine, sweetie', 'No, mommy and I weren't arguing' then the next minute 'We're getting a divorce'! How shit do you think that makes me feel?"

"If I make you feel so shit, then why are you wearing my Red Fountain jersey?" Brandon barked back.

"Why, do you want it back?"

"Maybe I do!"

"Well tough, I'm not giving you the satisfaction of seeing me walk naked back to my dorm room!"

"You're not wearing anything under that?" Brandon lowered his voice seductively, grinning from ear to ear.

"Stop being such a guy,"

"Well you know what Stella?" Brandon bounded up the rest of the steps so he was on the same one as Stella, "I am a guy, and proud of it. I had the balls to come here an apologise face-to-face, whilst on probation! Do you have any idea how screwed I'd be if Codatorta or Saladin found out I was here?" He backed Stella up against the wall, towering over her small body. "I had the balls to admit I was wrong, to admit that I'd hurt you, and you know I'd never want to do that Stella because I love you!"

Stella backed further into the wall, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to contain her sobs. "You what?" she whispered, unsure whether she'd heard him correctly.

"I love you! I love you, Stella! I love you more than you could ever imagine," Brandon's knees buckled underneath him with the shocking revelation, but he carried on. "Whenever I see the sun shining on a clear day, I think how the brightness could never compare to your smile. Whenever I see the stars, I think how they'd never compare to the twinkling in your eyes. And I haven't been able to look at another girl since meeting you because all I can think is that she's nowhere near as beautiful as you! I love you, Stella!" Brandon's voice had risen considerably as he went through his speech, and the tears were now falling freely from his deep brown eyes. "I love you," he whispered into her stomach as he hugged her tightly, still on his knees. He noticed that the jersey's homey smell of Red Fountain's washing powder had been replaced by the sweet scent of vanilla that Stella carried with her. He inhaled deeply, not caring how weird it may look.

"Brandon," Stella gasped. She ran her fingers through his soft hair, tempted to use it to pull him upwards and draw him into a passionate kiss. But she was too hurt, so instead she pushed him away and ran up the remaining stairs to her dorm, leaving Brandon behind, feeling crushed.

* * *

Stella shoved the door to her dorm open with such force that it knocked off a few of the Teen Fairy magazines that were piled on top of a small table behind it. Tecna looked up from her computer in the far corner of the dorm, but before she could ask who the mystery visitor was or what they wanted, Stella ran into her room, bolting the door behind her. She collapsed onto her round bed in the centre, sending used tissues flying around the room. She didn't bother to chase after them and pick them up. Instead, she curled up into a ball, tucking her knees beneath her chin, and allowed the sobs in the back of her throat to break free.

She rubbed the thick material of Brandon's jersey between her thumb and forefinger for comfort, and used her other hand to bring the collar up to her nose so she could inhale the sweet scent of him. It was all she had left. When her throat was raw from crying, memories of the conversation on the stairs bombarded her mind, and she instantly regretted leaving that sentence unfinished, being too coward to tell him what she'd felt for a long time.

She loved him too.


	2. Chapter 2

**(I left this out last time) Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club (unfortunately).**

**First of all, a huge thanks to Everlasting Glory and Orange Starbursts for their positive feedback on the last chapter - I'm new to the site so I'm not quite sure how to message the two of you, but thank you, and the reason there were a few mistakes in the last chapter is because I was in an I-have-an-idea-for-a-story-so-I-better-write-something-down-ASAP mood. Hopefully you see this and aren't too disappointed with this next chapter - personally I don't think it's as good as the last one, but I couldn't think of anything better.**

**Anyhow, I don't think you'll need me to finish the end of this story properly, as we all know that Stella and Brandon (thankfully) get back together. Yey! This is just my interpretation of what went down between the day they split up and when they saw eachother on Sparx.**

**Sorry for rambling!**

**-Ryan.**

* * *

"Brandon?" Sky asked sleepily from his bed. Brandon forgot he was asleep and had turned on the light, which was a bit too bright for Sky's liking. "Where've you been?"

"Out," Brandon sighed. He tore off his clothes, leaving a messy trail behind him leading to his bed. Jeans, belt, shoes, socks, shirt, jumper, everything except his boxers. There was a strict 'no nude sleeping' policy in their dorm, for obvious reasons. Mainly because Brandon accidentally crawled into Riven's bed by mistake in freshman year, causing the magenta-haired Specialist to react with such malice that Brandon ended up with a black eye. Bad times.

"Care to be more specific?" Sky yawned.

"I was at Alfea,"

"No,"

"Yeah,"

"No way,"

"Yeah way,"

"Get out!"

"Shut up Sky," Brandon told the blond harshly. He wasn't in the mood for joking around.

"Dude," Sky shot up into an upright position, instantly concerned by his friend's strange behaviour. He and Timmy knew Brandon had cried himself to sleep like a baby the past few nights, though no one had the balls to tell him they knew. He wouldn't embarrass his friend like that. But Brandon was never this wound-up. "What happened?"

"I saw Stella," Brandon choked on her name, then pulled himself together so he could explain to Sky. "I went to apologise, face to face, to tell her why we did what we did, but…"

"But what bro?"

"We had a fight, kinda," Brandon racked his brain together, trying to remember every tiny detail about the encounter. "But I told her how special she was to me, and she told me she liked me even if I wasn't a prince, and then I did something really stupid,"

"What did you do?" Sky asked seriously. Most of the things Brandon did were stupid, though he was oblivious to the fact himself. So if Brandon thought he did something stupid, it was most likely borderline insane.

"I told her I loved her,"

"No,"

"Yeah,"

"No way,"

"Yeah way,"

"Get out!"

"Fuck off Sky! It's your fault I'm in this mess!"

"Hey, you agreed to it!" Sky defended himself.

"Can you guys shut up?" Timmy snapped from his bed. Brandon and Sky had momentarily forgotten that this wasn't just their dorm, but it was too little too late to take back anything they'd said.

"Sorry Tim-meister," Brandon apologised sincerely. Timmy let out a great sigh and shook his head gently.

"It's okay, you're upset," Timmy replied in a much softer voice. "Do you really love her?" Brandon nodded his head. He really, truly did. "Does she love you too?"

"I don't know," Brandon whispered, his brown eyes watering. "I just don't know,"

* * *

"…so don't forget to buy extra spell books from Miss Barbatea in the library," Griselda concluded after finishing the list of announcements. Professor Palladium was sat awkwardly behind his desk the entire time, wondering when the bossy fairy would leave so he could start his lesson. "Ah miss Stella! How nice of you to grace us with your presence,"

"The pleasure's all mine," Stella mumbled sarcastically from the doorway. Griselda shot her a glare before turning to Palladium.

"That will be all, professor. I'll leave you to get back to your class," she directed her attention back to Stella, who had seated herself at the desk between Flora's and Musa's.

"Okay!" Palladium jumped out of his seat and clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "So girls, today we'll be reviewing what we learnt about drogba root and its effects on-"

"Excuse me professor, I forgot my notes," Stella confessed. Griselda arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe if you made the effort to show up to class, you would be prepared for lessons," Griselda smirked.

"I haven't been feeling too well," Stella lied. Flora nodded her head vigorously to protect her friend.

"Ah yes, I heard there was a horrible case of love sickness going around your dorm room," Griselda turned her attention to Bloom, who was hunched over her notes spread out on her desk.

Palladium stepped cautiously towards his colleague. "Um, Griselda, maybe now isn't the time to be talking about this,"

"I'm not in the mood, Griselda,"

"Get a grip Stella, I still had to come to class!" Bloom growled. "I was lied to aswell! I was the one who was cheated on! I was the one who was embarrassed infront of all those people!"

"Stop making everything about you, Bloom," Musa snapped back. "Can't you see Stella is in the exact same boat as you?"

"Brandon wasn't a prince! Or engaged!"

"No, Brandon wasn't a prince. He lied to Stella about his status, how do you think that makes her feel?" Flora argued, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. She was sick of Bloom giving Stella grief because the redhead felt Stella didn't have a right to be as upset as she was. It was ridiculous.

"Don't you think Stella feels used aswell?" Tecna added helpfully. Stella gave her friends grateful smiles, but when her eyes fell on Bloom she could see the fire had ignited in her piercing blue eyes.

"He wasn't engaged!" Bloom screamed. "He wasn't cheating on you!"

"Enough shouting!" Palladium ordered, silencing the whole class. Griselda's head snapped round in astonishment – she'd never heard the elf raise his voice above its peaceful volume. "Stella, Bloom, go to Miss Faragonda's office. Now."

* * *

"This is all your fault," Bloom seethed once the scolding in Miss Faragonda's office was over.

"How exactly is it my fault?" Stella asked casually, picking up her pace to get as far away from Bloom as possible. The girl knew how to push people's buttons, and Stella didn't want to visit the headmistress' office for a third time in three days just for punching someone.

"If it wasn't for you insisting we go to Red Fountain for the Day of the Royals, I never would have known about Diaspro!"

"So you'd rather not know?"

"Bran- I mean, Sky, would have told me eventually!"

"Fat chance," Stella scoffed. "Were you even officially dating?"

"Well…" Bloom thought for a second. They'd never been on an official date, nor had he asked her out. Hell, he'd never even hugged her. "Not exactly,"

"Then how is it classed as cheating?"

Bloom's cheeks heated with the embarrassment of the situation. She liked Sky – a lot – but they were never an item. They never had what Stella and Brandon did. You'd have to be dead to not see there was something going on there. An enormous wave of guilt washed over Bloom as she realised she'd been a real jerk to her friend. The second Stella had marched out of the gates of Red Fountain, with the rest of the Winx Club running breathlessly behind her to keep up, she dropped her angry façade and broke down in tears. She'd been that way for the past two days, crying non-stop in her dorm room. Rather than going to see if she was okay, Bloom ignored her and focused solely on herself. She'd been selfish by believing that Stella had no right to be upset, when really she was the one to be the most unsettled by the situation out of the pair.

"Stella," Bloom turned to face her friend, locking her blue eyes with Stella's honey-coloured ones. "I'm so sorry,"

"Don't," Stella shook her head gently, allowing her blonde locks to sway and shield her face. "I've had enough apologies,"

"What do you mean?" The girls were now outside of their dorm room. Stella was torn between running inside, locking herself in her room and crying, or being strong for once and telling the truth. But it wasn't just Bloom who deserved to know. She decided to go with the latter, since she'd done enough of the former to last her a lifetime.

* * *

"Stella!" Flora ran up to her friend and pulled her into a warm embrace. Musa shot Bloom a look of disgust from her place on the sofa, and Tecna was making her way over to the rest of her friends, debating whether or not to forgive Bloom for being so rude to Stella.

"I have something to say," Stella spoke up after struggling to break free of the flower fairy's warm hug. "About that mystery visitor last night…"

"Ah yes," Tecna smiled as she seated herself next to Musa on the sofa. Bloom pulled out a chair tucked underneath Tecna's computer desk, and Flora sat happily on the fluffy rug infront of Stella.

"Who was it?" Musa asked curiously, cocking her head to one side. Flora's jade eyes shone gleefully at the fact that her blonde friend was finally opening up to them about _something _after being mute for two days straight. Besides the crying, which Tecna had to endure alone as Musa always slept with noise-cancelling headphones that blasted music straight to her eardrums. Flora and Bloom were spared of the worst of it, seeing as their room was on the other side of the dorm.

"It was him," Stella confessed. She gave the girls a second to gasp and exchange a couple of no way's and get out's.

"What did he want?" Flora spat, putting plenty of emphasis on the _he _to express her distaste towards the squire.

"He came to apologise in person,"

"And?" Musa waved her hand impatiently, egging Stella to continue.

"And to try and get me back, I guess,"

Bloom looked up to her friend with sympathetic eyes. "What did you say?"

"I said no, but then…"

"Then what?" the girls asked simultaneously. The tension was killing them.

"Then… nothing, I guess," Stella lied. She decided it was best to leave out the part where Brandon told her he loved her, in case the girls used it against him. Or against her. What if they used it to persuade him to get back together with him? Was it what she wanted? Was getting over him for the best? She wasn't sure, so as the true fairy of the sun and moon, she left it up to fate to decide.

"You know what you need?" Bloom perked up. The four girls gave her a look so she'd elaborate, because really Stella could do with a number of things. Mainly a make-up wipe. "A burn-out!"

"What's that?" Tecna arched an eyebrow suspiciously, as she didn't really see where this was going.

"You collect all of the things that remind you of your ex, and burn them! You know, to help you get over him. I did it back on Earth to my ex Andy,"

"Might not be so bad," Musa shrugged, rising from the sofa. She held out a hand to help Flora up, and the two dragged Stella over to her room. Once inside, they began to rummage through Stella's closet for anything that could be linked to the brunette.

"The outfit you wore on your first date," Musa flung it carelessly onto the bed in the centre of the room.

"The dress you wore to the Alfea/Red Fountain mixer when he asked you to dance," Flora picked up the beautiful orange garment, and threw it reluctantly on top of the outfit Musa had discarded.

"There's a picture here of Sky and Stella!" Tecna notified the rest of the group as she held up the photologram showing a picture of Stella laughing at something Brandon said, and Brandon smiling at her adoringly in response. Tecna knew for a fact the picture was snapped by Timmy, who was taking pictures of everything and everyone on that particular day in the park outside Magix.

"Brandon," Bloom corrected her automatically.

"Put it on the bed!" Musa sang as she riffled through the contents of Stella's ridiculously large closet.

"Do we really need to burn clothes?" Stella asked unhappily. "It's such a waste!"

"We can't take chances Stell," Bloom told her firmly as she searched Stella's bedside drawer. Stella wasn't stupid; she kept all of her private things underneath a secret board at the bottom of the drawer, just in case someone was nosey enough to go poking their nose around. Thankfully anything Brandon-related was inside, hidden from sight. Except…

"Could you girls excuse me for a moment? I forgot to shower this morning, and I feel really gross," Stella asked hurriedly. The rest of the girls filed out of the room, taking the pile on Stella's bed with them in case she tried to hide any of it again. She couldn't care less about the Spella McCartney dress, or the photologram. She could always replace those. But not that jersey.

It was just where she left it, tucked securely underneath her mattress. She couldn't be certain that the girls wouldn't check there, so she folded it neatly and stuffed it into her pillow case.

"Never mind girls, I'll get one later!" Stella called.

Musa bounded back into the room and resumed her position inside Stella's closet. Tecna and Flora were being more tactical, looking in the nooks and crannies of the room. Bloom decided she was done searching the top drawer, and moved on to the bottom one, which was brimming with fashion catalogues and prescribed magazines.

"Sorry Stella, these have to go," Bloom told her as she dropped the stack onto the pile of clothes, photos and even the egg Brandon gave her at the Alfea/Red Fountain mixer, which Stella had turned back into its original form after the butterflies had erupted. She wanted something special to remember that night.

"Seriously? Why!"

"For starters these magazines could have boyfriend tips, and that's the last thing you want on your mind," Bloom reminded her.

"And what about the catalogues?"

Musa laughed at her friend's dismay. "You have too many. Trust me, they need to go."

"I don't like this burn-out idea anymore," Stella pouted. "Can't we just eat loads of ice-cream?"

* * *

Flora had found a metal waste bin further down the corridor, which she and Tecna used to keep the sentimental objects in. The bin was too small to hold the outfits in though, so the girls left them out, much to Stella's relief. The rest of the objects, however, weren't spared, and were burning in the bin on the balcony. Bloom was stood outside with Kiko, controlling the flames, whilst Stella, Flora, Musa and Tecna lounged on Stella's bed eating ice-cream. Who was to say they couldn't do both?

The girls were summing up what happened on the Day of the Rose over a large tub of Napoleon, which Flora was more than happy to dig in to. Tecna and Musa had been emailing Timmy in their room to get the low-down on the entire situation, so add that to Brandon's confession and they knew what went down better than anyone.

"So Brandon and Sky switched identities before starting school at Red Fountain?" Tecna asked again, just to make sure she had it right.

"Word is he wanted to see what it'd be like to be a regular guy," Musa answered. "Like that's a reason to be disrespecting my peeps!"

Caught up in the moment, Stella said, "It doesn't matter, I am so over Sky!" _Brandon, idiot! _She corrected herself mentally. _And stop kidding yourself!_

"That's very impressive," Flora mumbled through a mouthful of strawberry ice-cream. "Good for you Stella!"

Stella _hmph_'d indifferently. If she really wanted any chance of getting over the brunette it'd take some pretty serious measures. "I don't wanna hear his name ever again, you got that?"

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement and turned back to their tubs of ice-cream. Stella broke open a new tub and used her spoon to shovel out the brownie bits in her chocolate ice-cream. _The caramel swirls are the same colour as Brandon's eyes…_

"Gah!" Stella jumped in her seat, making the bed waver and boot Tecna off the edge. "Sorry Tec,"

"It's quite alright," the fairy giggled as she brushed off the stray bits of vanilla that had made their way into her hair.

"You wanna trade?"

"So long as you don't kick me off the bed again," Tecna joked, swapping her tub with Stella's.

"Hey Bloom!" Musa shouted in the direction of the French doors which were hanging ajar, hoping the redhead would hear her over the sound of the wind and the crackling flames. "You want some ice-cream?"

"Nah I'm good," Bloom's voice wavered back into the room.

"Forgiven her then?" Flora asked Musa after loudly swallowing an inappropriately large mouthful of strawberry ice-cream.

"I guess," Musa sighed, running a hand through her navy bangs. "She just got me so mad in potions today! Acting as if she was the only one who was hurt-"

"Can we not talk about this please?" Stella interrupted. Musa gave her a sorry smile and turned back to her tub of mint and chocolate.

Maybe, a thousand tubs of ice-cream later, Stella would be over Brandon, though she seriously doubted it. She had turned to food once in her life for comfort, and there was no way she was making that mistake again. There are some areas of the heart a tub of pistachio can't fix entirely. She didn't need ice-cream.

She needed Brandon.


	3. Chapter 3

**After coming up with three alternative endings, two of which weren't anywhere near as nice as this one, I've finally finished this oneshot. I'm quite relieved, actually. I'm suffering from major writer's block at the moment when it comes to All Good Things Come to an End, so I'm going to focus my attention on that for a while before I start writing a new fic. For those of you who have taken an interest in the story, I'm very grateful that you have favourited this story and/or left a review. They all put smiles on my faces.**

**I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint - enjoy!**

* * *

"What about her?" Brandon lifted his brown eyes from the paper coffee cup in his hands to follow his friend's gaze. He spotted a girl with chestnut hair yakking down the phone to someone as she crossed the street.

"Too skinny."

"You said that about the last one!"

"Well sorry Sky, I didn't realise this was a you-can-only-use-a-description-once game!" Brandon huffed.

Sky could feel the eyes of other customers on his shoulders, probably staring at Brandon for the strange outburst. "Take it easy Bran," the blond told his friend. "I'm only trying to help."

"How long's Timmy been in the bathroom for?" Brandon asked off-topic. He didn't want Sky to give him another lecture on how he was doing what was best for him. How could he know what was best for anyone? If it wasn't for him asking to switch places, neither of them would be in this mess.

"Just over a minute?" Sky answered after checking his watch. He wanted to get out of this awkward situation just as much as Brandon did. They hadn't exactly been on good terms recently.

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Timmy announced cheerily as he pulled out a chair and sat himself down by the window.

"Good, I'm leaving." Brandon pushed back his own chair and exited the café without giving his friends any further explanation. The only reason he came out today, on his first day as a free man again, was because of Timmy, but as soon as he went to pee Brandon realised that he didn't have to be in Magix. He didn't have to hook up with someone right away. He didn't even have to pretend to be Prince Sky. He'd been a push-over, and he was sick of it.

"Why can't I be allowed to do things for myself?" Brandon mumbled to himself as he dawdled down the high street. It probably wasn't a good decision. All of the clothing stores reminded him of Stella.

"C'mon snookums!" Brandon's ears pricked up as if someone had called his own name, but when he looked over his shoulder, he was disappointed to find a girl with short, dark hair dragging her boyfriend into the nearest store, instead of seeing his Stella. _Well she's not yours anymore is she, smart ass? You did a pretty good job of fucking that right up, _Brandon reminded himself.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Tecna! It's Timmy," the carrot-haired Specialist grinned triumphantly as he had managed not to stammer.

"Hello Timmy, is something wrong?"

"We're not sure, Brandon's gone AWOL and we think he might be up to something stupid," Sky spoke hurriedly into the speaker.

"Something stupid? Like what?"

"He might try calling Stella and start saying things he doesn't mean," Timmy explained. "Could you just warn her not to answer her phone until we've found him?"

"I'm on it Timmy," Tecna smiled, feeling honoured that he'd called her instead of Stella herself.

"Great! Thanks Tecna, I owe you one!"

"I believe you owe me more than one," Tecna said flirtatiously before hanging up the phone. "Stella! Message from Timmy!"

"Timmy?" Stella's head popped out from her room. "Do me a favour Tec, tell him I'm flattered and everything but he's not really my type and it's too soon-"

"Not that you airhead! He told me to tell you not to answer your phone unless he says so."

Stella arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It's hard to explain," Tecna blushed. She didn't want Stella getting too suspicious or she might do the exact opposite to what Timmy says, which could jeopardise her own chances with him if she can't get her friend to perform a simple task.

"Alrighty then," Stella shrugged. "It can't hurt to ignore my calls for a few hours."

"Hey have any of you girls seen Bloom?" Flora turned to Stella then Tecna, hoping either of them would have an answer.

"Nope," Stella shook her head. "Maybe she's with Musa."

"Hm, probably," Flora mused as she flicked through her latest copy of Magical Botany.

"I'll see if I can find her in the library, I need her notes for Wizgiz's quiz tomorrow," Stella informed them before leaving the room. Flora gave her a small wave as she left, and then turned back to her magazine.

"Do you think Stella's okay?" Flora looked up from her article on effectively getting rid of weeds to find Tecna leaning thoughtfully against the wall with her fingers tapping her chin.

"She seems fine," Flora replied carefully, knowing that Tecna would have some counter-argument. She always did.

"Exactly!" Or not. "She's just come out of a break-up – a rather dramatic one at that – and she seems perfectly fine. That's not the Stella we know."

"Maybe she never really liked Sky – sorry, Brandon to begin with," Flora suggested, hoping the pink-haired genius would leave it at that and allow her to carry on reading.

"Or maybe it's the direct opposite," Tecna thought out loud. "Maybe she still likes Brandon and is putting on a front."

Flora's brows furrowed together. Tecna was making an awful lot of sense; as the drama queen of their group Stella was taking this rather well. There was no way two days of crying and a tub of ice-cream could make her fine and dandy again. "Oh dear."

"Oh dear indeed," Tecna mumbled. "We should go after her, get her to open up."

"Good idea!" Flora sprang out of her chair and rushed into her room.

"Flora, you're going the wrong way…"

"Just getting my jacket!"

"Why?"

"Because she could be outside, and it looks chilly," Flora blushed.

* * *

Brandon checked the time on his phone and saw it was late afternoon. Timmy and Sky would have gone back to Red Fountain by now, if they had any sense. There was no use looking for Brandon if he didn't want to be found. He was sitting on a small bench opposite a shoe store around the corner of Transportus station. His only company were the greedy pigeons scavenging for scraps in the trash cans, and passers-by that didn't give him a second look. He'd never felt more lonely in his life.

A flash of red hair caught his attention. He averted his eyes at first, but it seemed so familiar. Adjusting his eyes, he was able to make out the figure of a girl around his age wheeling a suitcase behind her, heading for the station. And there was a grey bunny nestled in her arms…

"Bloom!" The roar of the traffic blocked out Brandon's yelling, but he tried again anyway. Bloom didn't even look up to see who was calling her name. He was about to cross the street to ask her where she was going when another girl dressed in tight crimson leather walked out of a store and snuck behind the redhead. She was closely followed by a girl in purple leather with long, brown hair and a third girl dressed in blue who had her silvery white hair in a ponytail. _The Trix._

Brandon ran across the road, narrowly missing the bonnet of a vehicle and stumbled onto the sidewalk. Bloom and The Trix had disappeared around the corner but there was no doubt in his mind that he knew where they were going. Without hesitation, he broke out into a run and rounded the corner to see a sliver of Icy's white hair vanish in the swirl of a magic portal. They were gone.

Without weapons, back-up, or any clues as to where they could have gone, Brandon was at a loss. Then it hit him; he might not know where Bloom had gone, but someone might.

He pressed 1 on his phone and hit the call button. Thank the gods he hadn't removed the number from speed dial. The person picked up almost immediately.

"Hello?"

"Stella!" Brandon smiled, relieved she'd answered. Stella checked the caller ID on her phone and saw that the number wasn't recognised. She'd deleted the number yesterday, but she didn't need ID to know who had called her.

"What do you want Brandon?"

"I was in a café in Magix before with Sky and Timmy-"

"Timmy?"

"Yes Timmy, you know, strawberry blond hair, glasses, genius…"

"I know who Timmy is, Brandon." Stella answered as flatly as she could without giggling. "I promised him I wouldn't answer my phone! Listen, forget I picked up and-"

"No!" The people around the Specialist stopped and stared for a good few seconds before realising that the brunette wasn't talking to any of them. "This is important! Bloom's gone!"

"Bloom's gone? Gone where? Who with?"

"I saw her at Transportus Station, I'm here now. She was being tailed by The Trix, but I don't think she knows they were following her. I chased after her, but by the time I got to the station she was gone, and I have no idea where she went."

"You're at Transportus Station?"

"Yeah but Stell-"

"I'll be there in a minute." She hung up her phone and walked briskly out of the mall and headed towards the station, which was only down the street. She spotted Brandon before he saw her, and had to resist the urge to run up and hug him. Instead, she sashayed forward with a determined look on her face and thought of Bloom, how she could be in danger right now. Brandon was not important. _But he looks so cute in that jumper…_

"Stella!" Brandon's arms reached out towards her instinctively before remembering that they weren't allowed to do that anymore. He let them sway back again in an attempt to hide it.

"How long ago did she leave?" Stella asked sternly.

"About three minutes ago, but listen we really have to talk-"

"Did anyone inside the building see where she went?"

"No, I got here and the place was empty," Brandon frowned. He'd been hoping that she'd be a bit warmer than this, even if one of her best friends had gone missing.

"I need to call the girls," Stella sighed, flipping her phone open.

"I thought you couldn't use it?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Stella huffed. Stupid Timmy.

"Calm down sweetie," Brandon smiled, then mentally slapped himself. _Stop doing that!_

"We need to get to Alfea, have you got your bike?"

"No, I got the bus with the guys, we could catch the next one if we hurry?"

Stella shook her head. "I just saw it leave, it'll take too long to wait for the next one. I'll have to walk."

"I'll come with you!" Brandon stepped beside her on the sidewalk, resisting the temptation to slip his hand into hers. "You know, to explain what I saw to Faragonda."

"Okay," Stella smiled gratefully up at him. She knew it was just some lame excuse so they could spend time together, but she missed him just as much as he missed her, and let it slide. The girls would understand.

* * *

"Come on come on come on!" Sky pleaded with the ringing of Brandon's phone, hoping that somehow the little chant would magically make his friend answer his phone.

"Welcome to the Inter-Realm messaging service. I'm sorry but the person you're trying to call is unavailable-"

"Damn it!"

"Let me try," Timmy offered, prying the phone from Sky's hands before he smashed it on the floor. He pressed the call symbol over Brandon's name and let it ring three times. He was about to hang up when the dial tone stopped.

"Hello?"

"Brandon! Where are you?"

"On my way to Alfea, what about you guys?"

"Don't toy with us Brandon!" Sky yelled. "Turn your ass around and get back to Red Fountain!"

"He forgot to say please," a girl giggled on the other end of the line.

"Who's that?" Timmy and Sky asked simultaneously.

"Just Stella, we're-"

"Brandon, don't do this to yourself," Timmy sighed. "Just let her go, you've hurt her enough already."

Brandon felt a guilty pang hit his chest at his friend's words. "I am, I just want to be friends," he lied. Timmy could see right through it.

"Brandon, move on."

Shamefully, Brandon ignored his friends advice to stay away from Stella and put his phone back in the pocket of his jeans.

"Who was that, Brandon?"

"Timmy and Sky," the brunette sighed, scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly. He couldn't tell Stella what Timmy said.

"Did he say I can use my phone again?"

"Nope."

"Ugh, my feet are killing me!" Stella frowned, sliding one of her heels off her foot.

"Do you want me to carry you? Alfea's not too far away," Brandon offered, expecting her to say no. But Stella surprised him and jumped onto his back. He secured his hands on her legs and held her firmly so she sat comfortably on the small of his back with her arms wound loosely round his neck.

"Thank you," she murmured softly in his ear, making colour flush to his cheeks. Luckily she couldn't see.

"Anytime, princess."

* * *

"I appreciate your help here, Brandon. Professor Codatorta has sent Sky to come and collect you on a levibike."

"Thank you Miss Faragonda," Brandon bowed his head respectfully and turned to leave. He caught Stella's gaze, and held it for a good few seconds before exiting the headmistress' office, leaving the remaining members of the Winx Club behind.

Miss Faragonda directed her attention to the four girls before her. "I can't let you go. With your powers diminished it would be far too dangerous. It's out of the question!"

"But we're worried!" Flora whined.

"I understand, but I cannot give you permission to leave the school grounds under any circumstances. Please allow me to remind you," the woman adjusted her glasses, "you are on academic probation young ladies!" Griselda gave Stella a knowing look, which the blonde avoided at all costs. The headmistress may have been okay with Stella leaving the grounds unattended because of the circumstances, but the stern teacher was not as flippant, and vowed to keep a close eye on the Princess of Solaria.

"But Bloom needs us!" Musa argued.

"Miss Musa!" Griselda gasped. It always seemed that princesses were the most difficult.

"This discussion is over. Go back to your classrooms and let us deal with the situation." The girls slumped out of the room one by one, defeated. How were they going to help their friend if they were stuck in school?

* * *

"This sucks!" Sky stomped his foot on the break and swerved to the left, creating a cloud of dust behind them. Brandon tightened his grip on his friend, who lurched the bike forward once again. "Bloom's in danger and we don't know where she is?"

"Yeah, pretty bad right?"

"I'll say! This is bullshit!" Sky slowed the bike when he came to the gates of Red Fountain before bringing it to a complete stop so he would be able to guide it into the shed.

"Watch your language!" a senior scolded from the gates. Brandon recognised him – he was the guy who was talking about Stella with Bruce the night he went to apologise.

"Watch your back!" Sky snapped back. Brandon had to withhold a chuckle. He'd wanted to insult the guy himself, but he could settle for his prince doing it instead. Sky pushed his bike into the shed behind the dragon stables and locked it up next to Brandon's, ensuring that the lock wouldn't come loose.

"She's gonna be fine, Sky," Brandon assured his friend. Sky glared at him.

"Easy for you to say. You know where Stella is, she's safe at Alfea. Stella doesn't have The Trix coming after her. Why are you still after her Brandon? You got what you wanted, why can't you do what you've done with every other girl?" Sky was only insulting Brandon to let his anger out, and deep down he knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop. He wanted a reaction. "I still have a chance with Bloom. I have to get her back. If the roles were reversed it wouldn't matter, because you fucked up your chances with Stella anyway." That did it. Brandon punched the blond square in the face, making his nose crack and hot blood trickle down his face. "What the hell bro!"

"Don't talk to me." Brandon picked up his helmet and stalked out of the shed. "I feel for you Sky, I really do, but there was no need. I tried to help you by being Prince Sky, and I tried to help you by looking for Bloom, and this is what I get? I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you!"

"Brandon I'm so-"

"Don't bother," Brandon snapped. He saw Bruce's friend sniggering some distance away, but knew he wouldn't be doing himself any favours if he hit two guys in one day. Or night, for that matter. It looked like the sun was just setting.

* * *

"Hey-"

"Psst!" A loud hissing sound issued out of the speaker, making Brandon hold his phone further from his ear, only to draw it back again when he heard a faint whisper. "It's me."

"I was hoping you'd call," Brandon grinned foolishly before mentally slapping himself for what was probably the hundredth time that day. "What's up?"

"I need a small favour," Stella whispered.

"Okay, why are you whispering?"

"Because Musa's right outside my room and she has super sonar ears, like a bat!"

"Right," Brandon chuckled. "What's the favour?"

"Could you maybe come to Alfea on your bike and take me to Magix?"

"Magix?" Brandon sat up in bed, trying to balance the phone between his shoulder and ear as he pulled on a pair of sweat pants.

"Please Brandon? It's really important."

"Stell, sleep's more important than a sale," Brandon joked.

"It's not a sale, I'm going to get Bloom!"

"You know where she is?"

"Faragonda tracked her down and she's in Gardenia. I'm low on Winx so I'll have to go to Transportus Station, and once I find her I'll bring her back with my sceptre!"

"Good plan," Brandon nodded. "But what about Griselda?"

"She'll never know I'm gone," Stella replied sweetly. "So will you help me?"

"I'm on my way." Brandon grabbed his jacket and keys then headed down the corridor, past the dorms of snoring Specialists and made his way to the shed to fetch his levibike. If Sky woke up when he got back, he wasn't going to tell him that he'd done him more favours by going to rescue Bloom. Although it'd look suspicious if he helped Stella and it wasn't for Sky's sake. What was a squire to do?

* * *

Brandon could see Stella climbing carefully onto a nearby tree branch from the railing of her balcony. He knew that she had a fear of heights, so for her to do this for a friend was a major breakthrough.

"Are you okay Stella?"

"Peachy," she lied, clutching onto the branch for dear life. _Don't look down, don't look down…_

"Remember, just don't look down!"

"Thank for the advice," she mumbled, edging her way closer towards the trunk.

Carefully, she placed one foot on a dense branch beneath her, and after testing its hold she jumped onto it, then jumped onto a sturdier one directly below. She carried on like this until she was close enough to the bottom to let go and still manage to find her feet. Brandon caught her before she could prepare to land properly, and her arms wound instinctively round his shoulders, and her hair nuzzled his neck.

"You're so brave," Brandon smiled. Stella looked into his gentle brown eyes, so full of love and kindness, the eyes she fell in love with.

"Brandon," she breathed, allowing her left hand to cup the side of his face. Brandon got the message loud and clear, and dipped his head down so his lips could meet hers…

"You!" The couple broke apart, and Brandon almost dropped the blonde in his arms. Griselda was standing in the alcove, tapping her foot impatiently at a sophomore who was out of bed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry about that," Stella whispered apologetically, though really she wasn't sorry at all, nor was Brandon.

"We should go," he whispered in her ear as he lowered her to the ground. "My bike's outside, I brought a spare helmet this time."

"Good, my hair got all messy the last time I rode that thing without protection," Stella pouted. Brandon laughed.

"You'll be fine! Now come on," he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, "we have to get to Magix!"

* * *

"_I'll be waiting right here for you, please hurry," Brandon begged before Stella stepped into the shimmering white portal._

"_I'll be as fast as I can, this portal should take me straight to Bloom's house in Gardenia."_

"_Stella?" The blonde locked her honey eyes with his, looking kind and hopeful. "Be careful."_

"_Oh," she sighed disappointedly. "I will."_

_I was supposed to say "I love you", because so help me, I did._

It had been five minutes. Five minutes too long. Brandon was pacing back and forth impatiently around the empty station. The streets were deserted, not a person in sight, and he was beginning to worry. What if she got stuck? What if Bloom wasn't there? What if both girls were ambushed? He was about to ask for a portal to Gardenia himself when a brilliant white light flashed in the corner of the room, and two girls stepped out.

"Bloom!" The redhead turned her head slowly to see Brandon, but she looked uninterested. Tired. Defeated. "Is everything okay?"

Stella shook her head. "The Trix cornered Bloom, and they took the Dragon Fire!"

"Oh no," Brandon gasped. He actually had no idea what the Dragon Fire was or why it was important, but the girls looked upset so it couldn't be a good thing. "We should get the two of you back to Alfea before anyone notices Stella's missing."

"Actually, we're using my sceptre to get us back to Alfea," Stella shuffled her feet uneasily. "It's easier than you driving all three of us."

"Oh, well I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"I don't think so Brandon."

"The day after?"

Bloom gave the Specialist a hard look. "Not ever! Look at what you've caused! If Sky hadn't lied I never would have gone back, and I'd still have the Dragon Fire! And I wouldn't be this heartbroken over a two-timing prince!" Brandon looked at Stella, hoping she'd defend him after all he'd done for her, but the blonde stood their quietly, avoiding his gaze. "C'mon Stell."

And with a wave of the sceptre, the girls were gone.

* * *

Stella and Bloom had arrived in the forest outside of Alfea in the dead of night, as Stella had run out of Winx. The girls got to their dorm room at 6am and were greeted by Flora, Musa and Tecna, who all welcomed Bloom back with open arms. On their way to Alfea, Bloom had managed to persuade Stella to see sense, that Sky and Brandon were liars who shouldn't be trusted. With this in mind, Stella went back to her dorm whilst Bloom poured her heart out to Flora in her own dorm room. It was time to end things once and for all.

During lunch after an intense multi-terrain work-out, Brandon was given a letter. It was printed on pale green paper and smelt faintly of vanilla. He practically tore open the envelope over his meal to take a read.

_Brandon,_

_For the past year and a half I've known you as Prince Sky of Eraklyon, which I now know was all a lie. I understand that your duty was to your prince, and that it was difficult for you to keep a secret like that from so many people, but I thought you would have cared about me enough to tell me the truth. The flirting, the phone calls, the walks in the park, I thought that meant something to both of us. To me, it felt real. But I guess it wasn't if you couldn't even tell me who you really were._

_I'm beginning to understand that now, how hard it is to open up to someone. I opened up to you in so many ways. I told you things that I've never told anyone before. I trusted you, and you abused that trust by lying to me. I understand now. The truth hurts. Now I see that you never really cared for me that way._

_Sky left Bloom a message last night to apologise for everything that's happened, and he said "Brandon's taking his failed challenge a little hard, he's even stopped talking to me." Challenge? Is that all I was? A challenge? A piece in your own personal game? It's nice to see that I meant so much to you._

_Stella._

_PS. I was never completely honest with you either. That night you came to apologise and you told me you loved me, which I'm sure was also a lie, I was too scared to tell you something in return. I loved you too. And damn it, I still do._

"Brandon? Is everything okay?" Timmy asked cautiously from across the table. Unable to form words due to the lump lodged in his throat, Brandon shook his head and wiped away the tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Should I…"

"No," Sky shook his head gently. "I tried calling Bloom, and Stella answered the phone. By the looks of things they don't want to talk to either of us."

Timmy set down his cutlery to look his friend in the eye. "Maybe you should move on, Brandon. What makes Stella so different to all of the other girls you've dated?"

"Because she's the one," Brandon answered truthfully.

It dawned on him that Stella was right. The truth hurts. The truth was that in the beginning she was a challenge for him. He'd wanted her. But when he had her, he realised he needed her. He loved her. And now she loved him too. And that love was not a lie; that was the most honest thing about their relationship. And if she still loved him, then there was still a chance that he could win her back.

Or was it already too late?

* * *

**I think I'll leave this story on this nice little cliff-hanger, as we all know that Stella and Brandon do get back together despite these complications. I know I changed the whole part about Icy, Darcy and Stormy going after Bloom right away, because I thought it fitted better with the story and where I wanted it to go.**

**Wow! A one chapter oneshot which turned into three! Special thanks to Everlasting Glory, Orange Starbursts, SabrinaMarie, katielovesbtr25, Black Angel of Darkness, ShiningSunray, mf2595, Ashley3r3 and yoochuncassie22 for taking an interest in this story. I hope this last chapter didn't disappoint, but I don't think I'll add any more to this as I only wanted to fill in the gaps of what happened between The Day of the Royals and the battle on Sparx, and Stella and the rest of the girls are away for the rest of the episodes.**

**Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed reading The Truth Hurts, as I certainly enjoyed writing it.**

**-Ryan.**


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